Football Daily | Watford, a ‘fake news’ sacking and an apology to Elton John

There are only two things certain in life – death and taxes Reece James knack and Watford managerial news – and Football Daily’s bingo card lit up with both on Friday. But while Chelsea’s statement on their crocked right-back having successful knee surgery was a cut-and-paste job from the last time James was injured, the quotes by Watford manager Alessio Dionisi were much more exciting, mainly because it contained an actual apology to Elton John and the remarkable news that the club’s trigger-happy owners have not already sent the Italian the same way as an apple in Michael Owen’s house.

Having already made four managerial appointments in 2026 and 28 since the Pozzo family purchased the club in the summer of 2012, the owners have shown uncharacteristic restraint despite Watford winning just three of the last 21 Championship games (even Oxford United have more victories in the division during that time despite being relegated to League One in April). Pressure on Dionisi has now increased after John – which feels like an inappropriately underwhelming way to refer to one of the most talented and flamboyant pop singers of all time – admitted he was “upset” at the club’s form in a now-deleted post on a Social Media Disgrace on Sunday.

“As a lifetime supporter of Watford FC, I am very upset and disappointed at the decline over the past few weeks – I really feel for the supporters who have to watch this,” Elton crooned after the 4-0 home defeat to Burnley. “I’ve called the chauffeur, you little chancer”, he didn’t add. Things worsened for Dionisi on Tuesday with struggling Cardiff romping to a 5-1 win to leave the Hornets in the Championship relegation zone, with some reporting – incorrectly, as it turned out – the Italian had been sacked during the game. But despite the unconfirmed reports of his demise, Dionisi remains very much in post.

“There is good news, bad news or fake news probably. In this case for the moment, it is fake news [that I have been sacked] but I don’t decide,” he told the BBC on Friday, not wholly convincingly. “For Elton John, I am sorry because I don’t know him. But football is wonderful because everyone speaks [their mind]. I have been a coach for 14 years, and it is normal. In my past there was negative and there was positive moments. At the moment it is a negative moment. Inside the training ground there is only one mentality, only one street for everyone.” Absolute goosebumps, Alessio. Cheers for that. We know not of the cryptic road you speak – Vicarage? Yellow Brick? The road to nowhere? – but we’ll have to see if Dionisi becomes the latest Watford manager to find himself out on the street, kicked to the curb through a front door marked ‘Do One’, following Saturday’s visit of Charlton Athletic.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think I have an angel on my shoulder. I’m actually fortunate to be alive at all. I was 20 and playing for Dortmund when three pipe bombs went off right next to our bus on the way to a Champions League match. A lot of young people probably would not even believe that it happened, or how bad it was, but it marked us all. There was a deafening noise, and then I remember the bus nearly tipping over. I looked behind me and saw blood on the floor. Smoke, screams. I remember being at the hospital later that night, waiting for Marc Bartra, who had his wrist badly cut up. The next day, someone told me that a huge piece of shrapnel was lodged in the headrest of the seat next to Marc. My usual seat. That day, the seat was empty. My legs were feeling a bit tight, and the seats in the front reclined. So I sat up there instead, and it may have saved my life” – Mikel Merino recalls how a last-minute change of seats on the Borussia Dortmund coach that was hit by explosives on its way to the home leg of their Champions League semi-final against Monaco in 2017 may have saved his life in a wider interview with the Player Tribune.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

Shall we just hand over the Bigger Cup to PSG now to ease the calendar congestion?” – Krishna Moorthy.

Reading that ‘European football leaders are increasingly confident they will find a candidate to stand against Infantino next year’, I can’t be the only well informed reader to think that a certain intergalactic bin wearing member of the nobility would make a terrific candidate. Can the Big Website ‘Higher Ups’ have a word?!” – Chris Reid.

Looking at the Benfica v Celtic game I was immediately drawn to the presence of two Durans. Have there been any other instances of any other bands being present in a game? Possibly in the Human League? I am hoping a Serie A game with a Scritti and a Politti … a French game with Depeche and Mode. You get the general idea” – Mike Turney.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Chris Reid. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here. 

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